Category: Blog
Shifting Landscapes: Reflections from Textile Exchange 2025 in Lisbon
From Convincing to Creating The mood throughout the conference was urgent yet hopeful. As Inna Kitaychik described it, the subtext has shifted from “What should we do to fix the problem?” to “Who is my…
Wolfish Wisdom and Rewilding Our Stories: A Conversation with Erica Berry
A virtual gathering with Wolfish author Erica Berry invites us to rewild our imaginations and reweave our connections with the living world. Drawing from her acclaimed debut, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear, Berry explores…
Lessons from our Nature Retreat: Voices from the 2025 Cohort (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of my reflections on the Nature Retreat with the 2025 cohort of nature-inspired startups, following my first article, Doing the Hard Things That Matter: Reflections on our 2025 Nature Retreat. At the…
5 Key Characteristics of Nature-Inspired Startups
What does it mean for a startup to be nature-inspired? The phrase sounds simple, but it holds layers of meaning. At our Ray of Hope Accelerator, “nature-inspired” isn’t a tagline, it’s both an eligibility requirement…
From Field Research to Regenerative Design: How Urban Bird Research Led Me to Biomimicry
Look out of your window, and you’re likely to see buildings, concrete, and human-made materials. In most places where we live, you’ll see an environment defined by human needs: reflective structures, rigid, manufactured materials, and…
Doing the Hard Things That Matter: Reflections on our 2025 Nature Retreat (Part 1)
We just had our Nature Retreat with the 2025 cohort: 10 nature-inspired startups, 18 participants, and I’m thinking about Paul Graham’s famous advice: do things that don’t scale. At its core, the message is that…
Biomimetics25: Industry Strategy Symposium | BioVerse™ Week 2025
The Biomimicry Institute’s Director of Innovation, Sarah McInerney, will join the Biomimetics25 Industry Strategy Symposium as part of the Monday program. Biomimetics25 is more than a conference—it’s where a new global field is being defined. The event brings…
Biomaterials and the Future of Manufacturing: Lessons from Nature with Tim McGee
Join us for a conversation with Tim McGee, who will explore how manufacturing and materials can draw inspiration from living systems; from mussel byssal threads that produce self-healing fibers to cable bacteria that hint at…
Connecting to Nature Through Story with Camilo Garzón at the Biomimicry Confluence
The Biomimicry Confluence is a two-day conference where nature-inspired ideas, innovations and innovators flow together. Join AskNature Program Director, Camilo Garzón for Connecting to Nature Through Story. This keystone event will give participants a renewed…
Designing with Nature & Building for Life: Insights from Michael Pawlyn
The Biomimicry Institute invites you to a conversation with renowned architect and biomimicry leader Michael Pawlyn, whose work asks one of the most important questions of our time: How can we build a world that…
Reflections from BioInnovation Midwest in Omaha with Director of Innovation, Sarah McInerney
This week I had the joy of moderated a panel at BioInnovation Midwest on “Incubating the Future of U.S. Biomanufacturing: Key Building Blocks for Scaling Innovation from Startup through to Commercial Success.” with Dr. Chern-Hooi Lim, CEO of New Iridium, Brian Jacobson, Program Manager…
From Soil to Soul: A Film Screening and Conversation with Co-Founders Jahnavi Mange, Margaret To, and Ankur Shah
Join us for a special screening of From Soil to Soul: Food Justice in LA, a 15-minute pilot episode from the upcoming documentary series exploring how communities are looking to nature for inspiration in re-imagining…
Post-Traumatic Ecology: Learning Emotional Resilience from the Living World
Biomimicry is often understood as the practice of emulating nature’s forms and systems to solve human challenges. What happens when we extend this principle to include our emotional and relational wellbeing. What if ecosystems could…
Land, Sea and Air: Philanthropy’s Role in Accelerating Nature-Based Solutions through Impact Investing
Repairing decades of environmental harm requires a diverse set of financial tools and investor types working together to address climate change at scale. Today, philanthropy is expanding its role beyond traditional grantmaking—leveraging program-related investments (PRIs)…
Future-Proof Supply: Bio-Inspired Materials & Circular Systems featuring Sarah McInerney
Where capital, technology, and nature collaborate to solve urgent challenges. Vital Systems is a curated event series bringing together founders, investors, corporates, and government leaders to scale climate and deep tech solutions that work with nature…
Amanda Sturgeon at the Biophilia Summit 2025
Be part of this global event – the 2025 edition of the ‘Biophilia Summit’. This Summit series, established in 2023 by Living Future Europe and the Biophilic Society, isthe first such biophilia event worldwide and…
Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge Awards Event 2
Join Pocacito, the new hosts of the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge, as they announce the awards for the 2025 BYDC winners!
Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge Awards Event 1
Join Pocacito, the new hosts of the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge, as they announce the awards for the 2025 BYDC winners!
Fusion Fashion Tech Summit
Hosted by the Fusion Fashion Tech Society and produced under the visionary direction of its founder, Ambriel Pouncy, this year’s theme, “Unwrapped: Wear Your Old Clothes. RESTORE THE PLANET,” invites us to rethink fashion by…
Action Speaks Ingka Group + Biomimicry Institute at the Nest
The Biomimicry Institute is collaborating with Action Speaks, powered by Ingka Group | IKEA, to bring a full day of inspiring programming to the Nest Climate Campus at NYC Climate Week 2025.
Life as Another Organism: A Sensory Exploration Into the Worlds of Other Animals
Embark on a journey through the senses of other beings that awakens a deeper connection with the living world.
How Protecting Land Preserves Nature’s Inspiration
When it comes to protecting biodiversity, biomimicry is both a reason to do it, and a way to do it well.
Mapping GHG Impact for Early-Stage Startups | Crane Q3 Webinar
Explore how climate entrepreneurs can use CRANE to build forward-looking GHG impact models. We’ll draw on illustrative case studies from Prime Coalition and the Biomimicry Institute’s Ray of Hope Accelerator, and discuss practical ways to…
Regenerative Design: Breathable Buildings & Resilient Cities with Sean Quinn
How do we leverage the power of design as a positive force to restore and regenerate the natural world? In response to evolving impacts of climate change and urbanization, regenerative design looks to go beyond…
Grounding Climate Week: A Biomimicry Equinox Gathering
Celebrate the turning of the seasons with an hour with nature in Central Park to ground the start of Climate Week.
Biomimicry Meet-Up in the PNW
Join us for a casual and inspiring evening at Stoup Brewing with the Biomimicry Institute! Connect with fellow biomimicry enthusiasts, professionals, and nature-inspired innovators over a pint. You’ll have a chance to meet Miranda Berger…
Textile Exchange Conference 2025
Come meet the biomimicry team at Textile Exchange! More details coming soon.
Regenerative architecture: Beyond sustainability with biomimicry-Sustainability Summit 2025
In 2025, merely reducing harm is no longer enough. The time has come for architecture to evolve from sustaining the environment to actively regenerating it. This November, the Sustainability Summit 2025, brought to you by Architecture…
2nd Annual Sustainable Design Impact Hub in Grenada – Virtual Presentation with Amanda Sturgeon
Explore how biomimicry — innovation inspired by nature — can transform fashion systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with a special focus on ecosystems, local creativity, and regenerative design. Join Biomimicry Institute CEO, Amanda…
The Biomimicry Institute Announced the 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort
The Biomimicry Institute has announced the ten startups selected for the 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator.
Nature-Inspired Solutions: 2025 Cohort Startups Pitches & Reception | NY Climate Week Event
Join us for an inspiring evening announcing the 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator cohort.
AskNature: Solutions from Life | NY Climate Week Event
Explore nature’s 3.8 billion years of genius through biomimicry breakthroughs, visionary speakers, and a dynamic community uniting nature and design.
From Tree to Tech: Biomimicry and the Future of Materials with Andrés Mitnik
Trees are a living library that contain guidance for how to live in harmony with all that surrounds us. Join the AskNature Hive for a conversation with Strong by Form CEO Andrés Mitnik, who has built a company at…
Learning From the Life of the Past
When “life finds a way” … we should learn from it. The real-life Jurassic world––and every prehistoric world––was full of life, giving rise to species with incredible adaptations and strategies just like the species of…
London Climate Action Week 2025: Living Systems, Regeneration, and Hope
Here’s a look inside the events, conversations, and collaborations of London Climate Action Week 2025.
What is the Hive All About, Anyway? Meet the Manager, Lily Urmann.
The Hive is an online community platform and knowledge hub for biomimicry, designed to bring together the global movement in one place to interact, engage, and support each other as we continue in our own…
Biomimetic Insights From Maya Medicine
We as humans are part of a complex, fractal whole––the world within us balanced among the same points of reference as the world outside.
Biomimicry Institute Launches their Inaugural Co-Lab focused on Buildings, Cities & Infrastructure
Biomimicry Institute Launches their Inaugural Co-Lab focused on Buildings, Cities & Infrastructure aimed to catalyze sector-wide shift toward nature-positive solutions.
Investing in the Ingredients of Change: Reflections on The Economist Impact’s Sustainability Week US
Attending The Economist’s 6th Annual Sustainability week was a genuine pleasure, one that gave me hope and things to think about all at the same time.There’s something deeply gratifying about stepping into a room where…
The Living Systems Alliance: Developing nature-centric design and governance for place-based networks.
The Living Systems Alliance: Developing nature-centric design and governance for place-based networks. Join us for an evening’s exploration of how nature’s principles can guide us in creating thriving, resilient and regenerative communities, ecosystems, cities and…
Nature’s Architect: The role of biomimicry in urban design with Amanda Sturgeon
The Future of Cities 3-Part Webinar Series Nature’s Architect: The role of biomimicry in urban design – with Amanda Sturgeon Nature’s Architect: The role of Biomimicry in urban design Conversations at the intersection of regeneration,…
London Climate Action Week
Join The Biomimicry Institute at London Climate Action Week 2025June 21–29, 2025 | London, UK The Biomimicry Institute’s CEO, Amanda Sturgeon, and Nature of Fashion Communications Manager, Asha Singhal, will be in London for London Climate…
AskNature Hive Events
Join the AskNature Hive for monthly events that connect, inspire, and explore how nature teaches us to solve human challenges.
Ray of Hope Accelerator on the Air: Meet the Founders
Check out a curated a playlist of recent podcast episodes featuring our Ray of Hope Accelerator alumni.
Letting the Fog In: Art, Climate, and the Biomimicry of Emotion
What inspires someone to act on climate? For many, it’s not a chart or a statistic. It’s a song. A story. A piece of art that strikes something deep and human.
From Fundamental Ideas to Real-World Action: Highlights from Circularity 2025
I recently had the incredible opportunity to be a part of Circularity 2025, hosted by Trellis, in beautiful Denver, Colorado with a view of the stunning Rocky Mountains. As a keynote speaker on Day 1,…
We are Nature Embodied: Reflections from Bioneers 2025
The Biomimicry Institute attended the 36th Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California, the last week of March. Bioneers is a confluence of ideas and brave voices creating a sustainable future.
20th Anniversary Picnic: New York City
🌿 Join Us for The Biomimicry Institute’s 20th Anniversary Picnic in New York! This Earth Week, we’re celebrating 20 years of learning from nature—and we want you to be part of it, right in your own…
Should other animals & parts of nature be “granted” rights?
The MOTH Festival of Ideas drew ideators of all kinds to New York University Law School last week. There were scientists, lawyers, artists, and at least a few biomimics. The call was simple: come together…
Nature’s Blueprint: Lessons from a Mindful Hike in the Columbia River Gorge
The morning of March 5th, 2025 was a very special one. The entire team here at The Biomimicry Institute was at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA for a staff-wide retreat focusing on team bonding, strategic…
Biophilic Interiors: Bringing Natural Elements Indoors
In our modern, urbanized world, it’s easy to feel disconnected from nature. Concrete jungles, artificial lighting, and synthetic materials dominate our everyday environments, often leaving us feeling distant from the organic, calming presence of the…
Biomimicry Institute Unveils New Report Highlighting Ray of Hope Accelerator Success
The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing a Nature Positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius, today announced the launch of its ambitious 10-year strategy at New York Climate…
Five Years of Nature-Inspired Innovation: Our Impact Report Is Out!
For the past five years, the Innovation team at the Biomimicry Institute has been steadily and purposefully supporting nature-inspired entrepreneurs worldwide as they address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Now, with the…
Ray of Hope Accelerator Demo Day
Join us virtually for the first-ever Ray of Hope Demo Day! You’ll have the opportunity to hear pitches from and meet the founders of the 10 best nature-inspired startups of 2024, participating in the 2024 Ray…
End of the Year Recap
As my first full year as CEO at the Institute comes to a close, I am reflecting on the incredible work we have done together with our partners, funders, and collaborators. The first highlight of…
Ray of Hope Alumni Collaboration: Amphico x Fusion Bionic
As we close out 2024, we envision a new year filled with bold and inspiring strategic collaborations. May innovators, policymakers, and communities unite to draw wisdom from nature, creating sustainable solutions that transcend boundaries and…
A wish for strategic collaborations in the new year
As we close out 2024, we envision a new year filled with bold and inspiring strategic collaborations. May innovators, policymakers, and communities unite to draw wisdom from nature, creating sustainable solutions that transcend boundaries and…
Exploring Gratitude in Nature
Have you ever received a gift or a kind compliment that inspired you to “pay it forward” with a generous gesture of your own? A 2014 study offers fascinating insights into this behavior, revealing that…
Building a founder community for collective climate action
In today’s fast-paced world, we all seek connection, a sense of belonging and purpose that ties us to something greater than ourselves. The connection between the startup founders in our Ray of Hope Accelerator goes…
The Biomimicry Institute Unveils 10-Year Strategy
The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing a Nature Positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius, today announced the launch of its ambitious 10-year strategy at New York Climate…
How Intentionality Drives Our Startup Selection Process
Intentionality breathes life into our Ray of Hope Accelerator's mission and into our operations. Our mission is to accelerate the growth of nature-inspired startups to scale systemic solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Meet the 2024 Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort
The Biomimicry Institute announced the 10 startups selected to participate in the transformational Ray of Hope Accelerator. The six-month accelerator is designed to propel nature-inspired startups towards commercialization through robust training, networking, $15,000 in non-dilutive funding…
An Interview with Sudoc, as They Scale Up Nature-Inspired Chemistry
Our Director of Innovation, Jared Yarnall-Schane, sat down with Roger Berry, CEO of Sudoc, and their investors Job Van Schelven of PureTerra and Martijn van Rheenen of Momentum Capital, to learn more about how this…
Exploring Big Questions at the 2024 Launchpad Retreat
The Biomimicry Institute has completed a weeklong nature immersion as part of our Launchpad Program. We brought together 20 of the most curious and creative minds from around the world in May to share ideas…
Biomimicry Institute Announces Winners of the 2024 Youth Design Challenge
The 2024 Youth Design Challenge saw remarkable participation from across the world, with submissions from 11 countries diving into the biomimicry process under the guidance of dedicated educators and mentors. From tackling issues ranging from…
Why We Evolved Ray of Hope from a Prize to an Accelerator
We know that to have a healthy and resilient ecosystem we need the entire system to work together. There cannot be one winner. The Ray of Hope Accelerator will support the technologies, industries, and people…
Can Brainless Life Have Answers That We Don’t?
What does it mean when the most powerful and well-funded organizations, NASA to the United Nations, turn to a brainless blob for answers?
How did a single cell guide top scientists to map the dark cosmos?
A single cell guided the world’s top scientists through another universe and its only limitations were our own.
Is a Blob Capable of Rethinking Our Built World Without Bias, Boundaries—or a Brain?
They've mapped rail systems, nervous systems, the cosmos and gave us a fresh take on Paris. But how? And what does this mean for future cities and how we live in them?
Beyond EV and AI: Is Slime Mold Driving the Future of Car Innovation?
No powerful limbs. No aerodynamic wings. So slow, movement can only be noticed with a timelapse video. So why are the experts turning to slime mold for mobility breakthroughs?
Your Next Flight May Be Designed by Slime Mold and Human Bones
No one would guess human bones and slime mold would lead a design trend. Definitely not a billion dollar one. But the epically odd duo earned seats at the design table, and the results make…
Watch a No-Brained Blob Think Out Loud
Slime mold’s oddities are balanced by behavior that is ultra-relatable—they are ruled by food! Case in point: A hungry individual is avoided more by its peers than a poisoned one. Humans are now looking to…
Slime Mold 101: Meet the Genius Without a Brain
Slime mold's party tricks are proving to be laced with valuable intel we wouldn't have without them.
The Bizarre Genius of a Brainless Blob
It's been a consultant for NASA, shot at by police and mistaken for an alien. How slime mold—a brainless, single-celled organism—mapped the dark universe, keeps challenging the top minds to rethink intelligence, and has an…
Nature’s Pulling the Fire Alarm, So What Can People Do Now?
The recent fires in Australia burned an area over twice the size of Portugal, with estimates nearing a billion animals lost along with critical habitat, food sources, and services the forests provide. The fires have…
